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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27131317">Fever</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/serenelystrange/pseuds/serenelystrange'>serenelystrange</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Leverage</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Fluff and Angst, Getting Together, Happy Ending</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 19:41:37</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,324</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27131317</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/serenelystrange/pseuds/serenelystrange</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Eliot &amp; Parker have to pose as a couple buying a house for a con, and things get a little...complicated. </p>
<p>(Written back in 2009, when I apparently shipped these two!)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Parker/Eliot Spencer (Leverage)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>30</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Fever</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Another real estate scheme?" Hardison asked his team members as they sat at the latest meeting, "Seriously?" "What is it with these guys? They all go to some special sleazeball academy or something?"</p>
<p>Parker snorted at his comment but the others just rolled their eyes. Hardison gave Parker an appreciative smile and the others a scowl before settling back in his chair as Nate reclaimed the attention.</p>
<p>"Yes, Hardison," he answered, "Another real estate scheme. But this time they're running off with perspective homeowner's money, probably through credit cards the applicant use for "mandatory background checks." Some people don't know any better, or are so desperate to find a home that they'll sign anything. All we need to do is get them to try and steal money from one of us. And then we can track it, and Hardison can do what he does, and well, you can guess the rest."</p>
<p>The others nodded, happy that the job seemed fairly simple. Everybody except Eliot, who was frowning at the lack of violence the plan involved. It had been too long since he had needed to beat the pulp out of some slimeball. It made a guy antsy. Nate, seeming to read his mind, addressed Eliot.</p>
<p>"Eliot. I want you and Parker to go in as interested buyers. Just in case anything goes wrong and you need to… divert someone."</p>
<p>Eliot grinned for a moment and then frowned again as he thought.</p>
<p>"Why Parker? I mean, why not Sophie?" Nate stared. Parker laughed outright as Hardison gaped. Sophie just giggled nervously as she felt the tension coming from Nate. Eliot suddenly realized what he said and held his hands up in defense.</p>
<p>"No! That's not what I meant. Damn. I just meant Sophie is the actress, shouldn't she be the one doing the acting. And no offense Parker, but you did stab a guy with a fork."</p>
<p>Parker scowled, "That was months ago! I've gotten much better."</p>
<p>Sophie nodded soothingly, "Yes you have, dear." She looked to Nate, "She really has."</p>
<p>Hardison sat silently, just watching the show. Nate realized he overreacted as he figured out what Eliot had meant, and continued on like the whole thing hadn't happened.</p>
<p>"Anyway. Parker's going with you because they'll be looking for an easy mark. And Parker looks the part, young and blonde and sweet."</p>
<p>"Sweet?" Parker questioned, looking up at Nate in confusion.</p>
<p>Nate smiled, "In your way." Parker smiled, almost shyly, and ducked her head.</p>
<p>Nate continued, "For this job, you just need to be a little more… bubbly. Just for a little while. As good as Sophie is, these guys will fall easier for your look." Parker looked back up and shrugged her consent. Nate glanced at Hardison, who had gone back to being bored, then to Sophie, who was looking at him with an expression somewhere between sweet and confused, an expression he was far too familiar with. Then finally, he looked to Eliot, who looked grouchy. Nate took that as a yes.</p>
<p>.</p>
<p>Eliot and Parker pulled up to the mark house in a rented Toyota, trying to appear as generic and guileless as possible. They shared a brief moment of mutual distaste for their outfits, neither one comfortable. Eliot wore long tan Bermuda shorts, topped by a green polo short sleeved shirt that itched. His hair was pulled back in a ponytail and the computer geek glasses resided on his face once again. His glasses were attached to a chain that hung around his neck, giving him an absentminded appearance, perfect for attracting the mark. Parker wore a dress, which was bad enough, but she cringed again as she looked down. It was truly awful. The dress was a bold flowery print, sleeveless, with an empire waist and pleats that reached just to her knees. The flat wooden sandals were ok, but they wouldn't do much good if she needed to run. Her hair was pulled to one side in a long braid that hung over one shoulder. The whole thing made her look  younger than she was and even more guileless than Eliot. Shrugging their shoulders at each other, they parked and headed for the house.</p>
<p>.</p>
<p>The place was huge. They stared for a moment in genuine awe as they walked into the newly built building. It was sleek and modern in a style Eliot didn't like but Hardison would die for. Walking into the expansive corridor, they noticed they weren't the only perspective buyers. Two other couples were ahead of them, a middle aged African American couple who both smiled at them as they entered, and a squirrely looking pair of women that Eliot guessed were sisters, judging by their resemblance to each other. Suddenly realizing he had lost sight of Parker, Eliot turned to find her eyes the banister to the staircase with gleaming eyes. Cursing to himself, he grabbed her hand and yanked her as inconspicuously as possible to stand back beside him. She scowled but came along. Just as she began to pull her hand away, a woman in a red business suit entered the room, clipboard in hand and smile on face. Getting into character, Eliot squeezed Parker's hand once and held on, hoping she would understand. She did, and plastered a bright smile on her face. The sight unnerved Eliot slightly, but he focused on the woman in red once more.</p>
<p>.</p>
<p>"Welcome." She called out, in a rich smooth voice that rivaled one of Sophie's. "This home was finished just last month. It is completely state of the art and completely gorgeous, as you can see. Now, you are all free to wander on your own. But if anybody wants a guided tour, please let me know and I'll be happy to take you around." Parker's hand shot up in the air and the woman laughed softly, "Ok, Mrs…"</p>
<p>"I'm Erin," Parker introduced herself, still smiling; "This is my husband Eric. We want a guided tour, please."</p>
<p>The woman smiled, but neither of them missed the glint in her eye, "Welcome, Erin, and Erik. My name is Sasha, and it'd be my pleasure to show you around first." Parker bounced happily and Eliot let his gaze wander around the room so it appeared he was lost in thought.</p>
<p>.</p>
<p>Parker and Eliot followed Sasha into the expansive dining room, where she rambled on about the specifics that neither listened to closely. They nodded and Parker smiled, making appropriate oohs and ahhs when necessary. Eliot took in the house closely. The workmanship seemed solid, no bad contractors this time. He was glad, it made things easier.</p>
<p>As they reached the equally expansive living room, Eliot noticed he still held Parker's hand in his own. He thought of pulling away, but didn't want to break character. At least, that's what he told himself as he rejected the thought that her hand felt nice and soft and warm in his.</p>
<p>The kitchen made them both gasp. It was glorious. A little too stainless steel for Eliot, but he couldn't deny the room was amazing. Long lengths of counter circled the room, a double refrigerator gleamed to the side, and the room had not one, but three deep sinks with spray hoses and garbage disposals. And array of shiny cabinets and hooks provided enough room to house all the cookware of a department store.</p>
<p>Parker sighed, "Oh, El… Eric. This is made for you!" She stared at him with genuine interest in the room. Eliot was so taken by the room he didn't even notice her near name slip. Instead he squeezed her hand and answered.</p>
<p>"It really was. It's perfect." And he found he only needed to exaggerate his enthusiasm a little bit.</p>
<p>Sasha had a reserved expression on her face, but they knew they were getting under her skin. They continued on the tour.</p>
<p>.</p>
<p>The three bathrooms were all shiny and new and perfectly fine, but Eliot and Parker acted like they were the best bathrooms they had ever seen. The guestrooms were much the same, Sasha rambled while they nodded and murmured, Parker still smiling sweetly. And then they reached the master bedroom and this time Parker gasped so loudly both Eliot and Sasha looked at her in alarm.</p>
<p>"Look!" she squealed, pointing up, "It's made of glass!"</p>
<p>Eliot looked up and rolled his eyes. The middle of the ceiling consisted of a giant circle moon roof, with retractable cover panels. The sun was shining brightly now, but he knew that the view would be spectacular at night. Parker was no doubt imagining all the trouble she could get into on the roof and through the moon roof. Deciding to use her enthusiasm to their advantage in front of Sasha, he turned to Parker, still holding her hand.</p>
<p>"You like this one, sweetheart? More than that Victorian over on Main St?" Parker looked confused for a moment before remembering she was in character. She let go of Eliot's hand and threw both arms around his neck as she bounced lightly.</p>
<p>"Yes! I love it! I want it. I want this roof. This house, I mean. I want this house." Eliot couldn't help but find her grin contagious and grinned back, placing his hands on her waist and giving it a squeeze.</p>
<p>"Well if this is the one you want…" he trailed.</p>
<p>"I do, I do, I do!" exclaimed Parker as Erin.</p>
<p>Eliot stepped out of Parker's embrace but grabbed hold of her hand again as they faced Sasha, who was smiling idly at them.</p>
<p>"It seems your wife is in love," Sasha practically cooed. They were so close, they could feel it.</p>
<p>Eliot smiled easily at her, disarming her further, "Seems so. Maybe I should be jealous." Sasha laughed, a calculated noise. Parker smirked and shot Eliot a quick look of mischief before responding.</p>
<p>"Don't be silly, honey. You know I love you more than a house." And then she kissed him, full on the lips, arms back around his neck. Startled, Eliot almost pulled away from her, but remembered the character at the last moment, and instead wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer as they kissed. A million thoughts ran through his head but were beaten down by the tingles that Parker was causing throughout his body.</p>
<p>.</p>
<p>Sasha clearing her throat loudly snapped them out of it, and they turned to face her again, Eliot looking ashamed, Parker disappointed.</p>
<p>"Well," Sasha began, a little red herself, "Why don't we go fill out some paperwork? You do remember we'll need a credit card for the mandatory credit and background checks?"</p>
<p>Eliot smiled at Sasha and nodded; and only Parker knew the expression. It screamed "gotcha!" Sasha didn't notice, and they headed down the stairs to fill out the forms.</p>
<p>.</p>
<p>The ride back to the office was silent, neither one willing to talk about what had happened. As far as they were concerned, it was just part of the job. At least, they told themselves that and ignored the far too complicated chemistry between them. When they finally pulled up to the office, Parker sighed in happiness.</p>
<p>"Finally! I can get out of this goddamn dress!" She spoke casually, actually happy about being able to change, but all Eliot heard was Parker talking about taking off her dress, and his mind immediately went to the gutter, giving him images of that ugly dress torn to shreds on his bedroom floor as he pressed her up against his wall. Shaking himself of the images, he tuned back in to hear the end of Parker's next sentence.</p>
<p>"…and my jaw is killing me!" She rubbed the offending part massagingly. Eliot actually sputtered and looked at her in confusion.</p>
<p>She tilted her head at him in a way that indicated he was the crazy one, "From smiling so brightly for so long! It hurts to be so peppy."</p>
<p>Eliot reacted automatically, "I thought you were cute." He groaned and leaned his head back on the seat, closing his eyes. It was a good thing he was strong, otherwise his stupid mouth would have gotten him killed by now. But Parker just smiled,</p>
<p>"Yeah. Erin was fun. And so happy! But I'm actually glad to be me again. I don't like braids."</p>
<p>Eliot groaned again as more images flashed in his mind, specifically how he could bury his hand in that braid and hold her head as she…</p>
<p>"You alright?" Parker asked, and Eliot opened his eyes to see her staring at him with concern. Taking a deep breath, he nodded.</p>
<p>"Yeah, I'm fine. Just tired. Let's go in."</p>
<p>Parker looked at him uncertainly but got out of the card, pausing to bend and take off the offensive wooden sandals. Eliot stifled another groan as her dress rode up to her mid thigh, and all he wanted to do was lay her down and slide between those thighs. It was the character, Eliot decided, it must be the character. He has a thing for the innocent types, that was all. Once Parker changed and he took a cold shower, he would be fine. He was sure of it.</p>
<p>.</p>
<p>The thing was, he was wrong. The day after the house visit, Eliot stared at Parker throughout the entire meeting, thanking god that nobody seemed to notice. She was back in her jeans and a loose black top, with her hair hanging free behind her, but he couldn't stop staring. Every time she sipped her water, he thought back to the taste of her lips on his and her body pressed up against his. When she stretched her arms above her head, exposing just an inch of skin, Eliot found himself physically stopping himself from reaching out to her and begging her to let him have her, right then and there. He was so distracted that he missed most of the meeting, which Nate did not appreciate.</p>
<p>"Sorry, Nate," he floundered, trying to think of a reason for spacing that was not Parker related, "I think I'm coming down with a cold or something. I feel all… funny."</p>
<p>Hardison nodded, "You know, I thought you looked weird, but I didn't wanna say anything, because I like being in once piece and all, but yeah, man, you look kinda flushed."</p>
<p>Sophie frowned with concern, "You do look red. Here, let me feel." She reached out to press a hand against Eliot's forehead, and he willed himself appear listless. Sophie pulled her hand back quickly.</p>
<p>"Oh my, you are quite warm. You should be in bed." Eliot looked at Nate, who nodded.</p>
<p>"You need to be well to be any help here, Eliot. Go get some rest. We're almost done with this one anyway."</p>
<p>Eliot nodded once and stood to leave, but Hardison stopped him before he could reach the door.</p>
<p>"Hey, El, man, you shouldn't be driving if you have a high fever. I'll drive you home."</p>
<p>Playing up his fever, Eliot agreed, but Nate stopped them both.</p>
<p>"Hardison, I need you here right now to wrap this up. Maybe Sophie or Parker can drive Eliot home instead?"</p>
<p>Eliot stopped himself from requesting Sophie, remembering the previous day. Instead, he stood silently, doing his best to look vaguely ill. Luckily, Sophie volunteered.</p>
<p>"I'll bring you home," she offered. "Parker can keep Hardison company and prevent Nate from killing him if need be." She grinned at her teammates teasingly.</p>
<p>"Thank you," Eliot responded, fully aware that he has said the words with more meaning than he could explain.</p>
<p>.</p>
<p>Sophie allowed Eliot to make a show of getting into bed and accepting the tea she offered, before she pounced.</p>
<p>"Alright, Eliot. What's going on with you?"</p>
<p>Eliot looked up at her with wide eyes, "What do you mean? I'm sick." He gave her his most pathetic look, but she saw through it.</p>
<p>"Don't try to con me, Mr. I know the tricks."</p>
<p>"Did you just call me Mr.?" Eliot laughed, knowing he was caught.</p>
<p>"Irrelevant." Sophie brushed it off, "Now, what is going on? You don't even have a fever. I just wanted to know what was up."</p>
<p>Eliot sat up ran a hand through his hair in frustration. He debated lying, he debated just refusing to talk, debated physically removing Sophie from his apartment and letting that be that, but he knew none of it would work. Sophie was a stubborn creature.</p>
<p>He sighed, "Parker. Parker's what's going on."</p>
<p>Sophie actually looked shocked, "What? What do you mean?"</p>
<p>Eliot leaned back and mumbled a long stream of near incoherent sentences, punctuated by his fists hitting the bed at random intervals. Sophie couldn't make out much, but what she did hear gave her a decent idea of his point. She heard, "Stupid dress," "kissed me!", and "Goddamn water!"</p>
<p>Sophie ventured a guess, "Parker kissed you? In a stupid dress? As the Erin character?"</p>
<p>Eliot sighed again as he righted himself, "Pretty much. And I thought it was just her Erin character, ya know? When she was all bubbly and swirling around, but…" he trailed off, realizing he was sharing more than he wanted to.</p>
<p>Sophie's eyes widened, "And now you're attracted to Parker even though she's not 'Erin' anymore?"</p>
<p>"It actually hurts." Eliot admitted, closing his eyes again, "Physically hurts, stopping myself from reaching out for her. It's crazy."</p>
<p>"Wow," Sophie didn't know what else to say.</p>
<p>Eliot nodded in misery, "Yeah. Tomorrow's gonna suck."</p>
<p>Sophie could only nod.</p>
<p>.</p>
<p>The next day did not, in fact, suck. Eliot managed to convince Sophie to tell the others he was still sick in bed, and that he wanted to be left alone. And they listened. All day. But then came nightfall.</p>
<p>It was just past ten when Eliot heard the knock on his door. He had been in bed, playing sick had oddly tired him out. Peering through the peephole, he groaned silently when he saw it was Parker. Knowing she would find her way in even if he didn't answer, he opened the door to let her in. Shutting the door behind her, Eliot suddenly remembered he was only wearing boxer shorts, and felt instantly self conscious. He prayed his body, especially a certain insistent appendage, would behave until she left.</p>
<p>Parker had no reaction to his state of undress, though it shouldn't have surprised him, she was the least modest person he'd ever met. Instead she smiled at him and shoved a can into his hand. He looked down, ignoring the feel of her fingers against his, and had to laugh at what he saw. A can of chicken soup. Parker looked at him sadly,</p>
<p>"What? You're supposed to bring people chicken soup when they're sick, right? I saw it on T.V."</p>
<p>She looked so earnest, he couldn't tell her that usually people brought cooked soup, or at the least, didn't show up at 10pm with cans of soup. Instead he gave her a crooked grin.</p>
<p>"It's great, Parker, thank you. I already had dinner, but I will definitely have the soup tomorrow."</p>
<p>Parker smiled happily. "Good. I don't want you to be sick." She stepped towards him and Eliot found himself taking an involuntary step forward, wanting to touch her. But he stopped himself and went two steps back, growling softly to himself when she took three steps forward, putting herself even closer than before.</p>
<p>"I need to get some sleep, Parker, alright?" Eliot started towards the door, hoping she would take the hint. Parker gave him a slightly confused look, not used to be rushed out of the room, but walked to the door anyway. She reached for the doorknob but stopped and turned back around to face Eliot, now only inches from her, ready to lock the door behind her.</p>
<p>.</p>
<p>"I don't know what's going on with you, but get better soon." She reached out to smooth his hair away from his forehead, making a face when her fingers touched his skin. "You're burning up," she said, running her fingers down Eliot's cheek before dropping her arm back to her side.</p>
<p>Her touch did him in, and Eliot gasped out "fever," before closing the distance between them and pressing Parker tightly against the door, praying she wouldn't say no. She was surprised, more at the shock of hitting the door than anything, but she grinned widely at him.</p>
<p>"About damn time." She let Eliot pin her arms above her head with his own as they kissed, pressing tightly against her. It wasn't gentle, but with the way his tongue moved against hers, she didn't care. In fact, she craved more. She pushed forcefully against his arms, and Eliot immediately sprung back, releasing her. He looked at her with an unreadable expression.</p>
<p>"Jesus, Parker. I'm sorry. Did I hurt you?"</p>
<p>Parker walked forward, running her hands down his muscular arms, "Only in a good way. I just want to move to the bed."</p>
<p>Grabbing Eliot's hand, Parker laughed, "Lead the way, big boy."</p>
<p>Eliot scoffed, "I'm hardly taller than you."</p>
<p>"I know." She grinned as her gaze drifted down.</p>
<p>Eliot managed to look turned on and scandalized all at once. "Oh, you are a wicked girl."</p>
<p>He led her to the bedroom.</p>
<p>.</p>
<p>Parker fell to the bed an instant after getting in the room, Eliot immediately crawling above her. Wrapping her legs around his waist, she shivered in thrill as she felt him, hard and ready, even through her clothing. Eliot's mouth was on her neck, sucking hard enough to border on pain, but she couldn't get enough.</p>
<p>"Need to take clothes off," she managed to get out between gasp and moans as Eliot explored her mouth and throat, trailing down her collar.</p>
<p>Eliot pulled to his knees, pulling Parker to a sitting position. She readily slipped out of her pants and underwear, tossing them to the floor. Eliot stared for a long moment before focusing on removing her shirt. Grinning, Parker lifted her hands in the air, letting Eliot pull the shirt up and off, joining the other clothes on the floor. She laughed as Eliot outright growled at her lack of bra and pushed her back down on the bed. In a move that made his eyes go dark with desire, Parker used both feet to pull Eliot's boxers down to his ankles, where he kicked them to the floor, her arms wrapped around his neck.</p>
<p>Parker moved one hand to trail down Eliot's stomach as they kissed, stopping at his waist. She wrapped a hand around him, laughing when he automatically thrust. She moved her hand up and down for a few seconds before Eliot stopped her, taking her hand in his own and placing it with the other one, above her head. "Please, Parker. I just need you, now."</p>
<p>She hooked one knee around his waist, raising the other leg to rest on his shoulder, making Eliot moan at the sight. She looked him straight in the eyes, "Now."</p>
<p>Eliot pushed himself all the way in with one thrust, crying out as he felt Parker spasm around him. Placing a kiss to the back of her knee that rested on his shoulder, he pulled out almost all the way and pushed back in, making her eyes roll back at the sensation. A dozen more thrusts and some cleverly moving finger across her clit had Parker coming, back arching, and straining against her still held arms above their heads. Eliot held still as she settled down, wanting it to last. But Parker had different ideas. "I wanna be on top."</p>
<p>Eliot didn't protest, flipping them so he was on his back, Parker still enveloping him, knees on either side of his waist. This time she pressed his arms above his head, holding them with her own as she lifted herself up and down slowly, torturing Eliot in the sweetest way. At Eliot's pleas, she released his hands, which quickly found their way to her. One hand gripped her waist and the other travelled down to rub her just right and her second orgasm took her by surprise, making her so weak she couldn't move anymore. Eliot flipped them again, and it only took a few more thrusts before he came, and collapsed beside Parker, catching his breath.</p>
<p>.</p>
<p>After a few minutes, Eliot felt Parker sit up and his eyes shot open as she reached for the pile of clothes on the floor.</p>
<p>"Where the hell are ya going?" he demanded, not bothering to hide the anger.</p>
<p>Parker looked at him with confusion, "Home? You said you sleep alone."</p>
<p>"When did I say that?"</p>
<p>"I don't know, a while ago."</p>
<p>Eliot sighed, "Well, that was before we had sex. Now come lay down and sleep."</p>
<p>"You want me to stay?" Parker looked unsure, as if she'd never before had the option. Her expression melted the rest of Eliot's anger.</p>
<p>"Yes. I want you to stay. Please stay."</p>
<p>Parker smiled, "Ok. But you're making me breakfast."</p>
<p>"Deal."</p>
<p>Parker crawled back into the bed and pulled the covers up, not quite cuddling, but laying close enough to feel the lines of Eliot's body against hers as they lay on their backs. Looking up at the darkness, Parker commented.</p>
<p>"How awesome was that glass roof at the mark house?"</p>
<p>Eliot murmured his agreement, "And how cool was that kitchen?"</p>
<p>Parker laughed, "I knew you loved it!"</p>
<p>"I did."</p>
<p>Slowly, Parker moved her hand until it rested on Eliot's, linking their fingers together. Smiling, Eliot reached over to place a kiss on her shoulder before muttering goodnight as he was falling into sleep.</p>
<p>"Goodnight," Parker said aloud, long after Eliot had fallen asleep. She stared up into the darkness for a long time, hoping they hadn't ruined everything in just one night. Then she felt Eliot squeeze her hand in his sleep, like he knew she was worried, and Parker found herself smiling. No matter what happened, they could handle it.</p>
<p>THE END</p>
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